“You will be wounded many times in your life. You’ll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God’s way of saying, “Excuse me, you’re moving in the wrong direction.” It’s just an experience, just an experience.” – Oprah Winfrey
Welcome back to the workflow, ladies! More quotes after the link…
Adapted from Fela Durotoye’s 10 Values of a True Nigerian, and in the spirit of Nigeria’s 57th Independence Day:
1. Make a positive impact: Imagine if 100,000 fierce Nigerian ladies commit to making lives better – and consistently too – in their different spheres of influence. That is, at home, in business/career and their communities at large. This will do wonders for Nigeria, setting off a chain reaction of change and upliftment. The result.. Nigeria becomes a better place.
2. Be a solution provider: … and not part of the problem! It’s easy to complain about the issues we see in our communities. However, it’s important we each work hard to create solutions instead, at different levels of influence.
3. Be a role model: To be a patriotic Nigerian is to be light in a dark corner of the nation. It’s to be someone younger generations can inspire to be like; a mentor to those on the rise. Ladies, let’s take note!
Are you a rising lady boss in the creative space? Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American sci-fi author making waves in the industry. Perhaps you have heard of her. With many awards under her belt, she is living proof that a love for Nigeria and a wild imagination can set you apart for greatness.
Read on to learn her story:
Her origins
Nnedimma Nkemdili Okorafor was born in the United States to Nigerian parents from Imo State. She was raised in Chicago, US but stayed connected to her roots, visiting Nigeria often with her family.
How she discovered her passion
In high school, Nnedi was a star tennis player, respected amongst her peers in fact. Her sports dreams were sadly cut short though by a scoliosis diagnosis. It even threatened her ability to walk. As it turns out, it was during this time that her passion for writing grew as she wrote stories for fun during recuperation. She would go ahead to become a PhD holder in English from the University of Illinois, Chicago and Professor of Creative Writing at Chicago State University. She was also an associate professor of creative writing and literature at the New York State University, Buffalo.
It’s hard to mention successful female entrepreneurs in Nigeria without Bukky George’s name on the list. Her business empire – HealthPlus Ltd/Casa Bella International – is officially one of the largest pharmacy chains in Nigeria, with over 70 branches till date, and 750 associates. As if that isn’t bossy enough, the company has won multiple awards over the years, including the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award for Retail Pharmacy of the Year in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
There is so much to learn from Queen B, her success story being so inspiring. We will just scratch the surface below while you soak up all her greatness:
“The bigger the dream, the higher you can fly. You can achieve anything you put your mind to. Just start from somewhere.” – Mo Abudu, CEO, Ebony Life Television and Films
More quotes after the link…
We’re still recovering from the awesomeness that was the GOT Season 7 Finale! The drama was intense, with plot twists here and there to top off the viewing experience. Our hearts go out to three special ladies who stole the show, in our opinion. We’ll try not to spill too many details – in case you haven’t watched it yet – so wish us luck. In no particular order, we present…
Cersei
But really, who was surprised at Cersei’s complete betrayal of Jon and Daenerys? Mad Queen moves, always. You would think a Wight would be enough motivation to move her, but again she reveals her unpredictability. Also worth noticing, the “little” scuffle had with her lover/twin, watching him set off after missing death by The Mountain. So much at one go, really. Can’t get enough!
An awesome skillset is waiting, ladies!
We’re sure undergraduates affected by the ASUU strike will benefit a lot from this post. Why sit at home idle, worried or both? You’re young with so much potential for greatness please, so be proactive. Invest in that growing skill-set and kickstart a possible business for yourself.
If you are stuck on ideas, we have a few suggestions of simple skills to learn below. You can take your research a step further and check out what we recently shared with stay-at-home mums in our article on Lucrative Hobbies.
1. Coding: Why not sign up for a coding class on Lynda or Code Academy? The list of learning platforms is endless really, with some being free or at least, fairly affordable. The great thing about coding is it gives you the opportunity to work remotely with companies around the world, so take advantage of any learning opportunity you can find.
2. Writing, Editing and/or Proofreading: Thanks to publishing houses and even gossip columns, good writers are always in demand. Sign up for an online course and begin your journey to Wordsmith Status! You can check out a few of these courses, or use them as guides to help your search.
We love these women! From fashion lovers to lady bosses, they continue to dominate the industry time and time again. Learn their stories. Be inspired. And, make waves of your own!
Eseoghene Odiete, Hesey Designs
Eseoghene’s brand, Hesey, uses beautiful African prints like ankara to create custom made apparel for Nigerian women. From cute clutch bags to drop dead gorgeous flats, Hesey’s great at making them, and brilliantly if we might add! #MadeInNigeria
So how did Ese’s success journey start exactly? A Mass Communication student, she discovered her passion for fashion at school and decided to pursue it after graduation. All those hours of online learning clearly paid off because today, she stands out in her industry, winning the Google Africa Connected Competition in 2014. She’s even met Richard Branson before. Talk about awesome!
Inability to access credit and laissez-faire attitude to capacity development have been identified as the top two challenges facing small business owners in the country. As such, it was a pleasant surprise to meet Mrs. Chinonye Umahi, Managing Consultant of Cauna Resources & Technical Services Limited who traveled from Enugu to Lagos for a Sterling Bank powered capacity development programme.
She spoke with our correspondent.
“A mentor is a brain to pick, an ear to listen and a push in the right direction.” – Author Unknown
The quote above matches our thoughts exactly on today’s explored topic. Mentoring is such an important yet highly overlooked relationship that helps many lady bosses get ahead as business or career women when done the right way. This is especially true in a professional environment like Nigeria; you need all the experienced guidance you can get.
For you to be reading this post, there is a good chance you’re already as convinced as we are about mentorship. Perhaps, you’re even in the process of getting one for yourself. We hope the tips below point you in the right direction and feel free to share considerations or suggestions below for future readers: